The present invention relates to a method and system for enhancing the protection of motor vehicle occupants during an impact event, through the use of adaptively controlled countermeasures.
Impact event countermeasure devices used in automotive vehicles have become increasingly more complex as time has progressed. Beginning with simple seatbelts, which at one time were limited solely to lap belts, and then later, lap belts with shoulder harnesses, countermeasure devices have passed through a lengthy evolution to a point at which even basic restraints include not only lap and shoulder belts, but also seatbelt buckle pretensioners and seatbelt retractor multi-load limiters.
In addition to seatbelts, supplemental restraint systems often include an airbag mounted within the steering wheel of a vehicle, as well as an airbag mounted within the dash panel adjacent a front seat passenger, as well as side airbags mounted upon vehicle seats, and side curtain inflatable devices. Other countermeasures include, for example, airbag inflators with multiple volume capability, and inflators with venting capability. An adaptive steering column is used in some vehicles to mitigate the impact load delivered to the chest area of a vehicle's driver during an impact event. In one incarnation, a multi-load level steering column controls the stroke, and hence, the load imposed by the steering column, during a frontal impact.
All of the countermeasure devices described above require proper time and force management in order to properly control the interaction of a vehicle occupant with his/her surroundings during an impact event. U.S. Pat. No. 6,804,595 discloses a system in which variety of sensors such as an occupant weight sensor, an occupant proximity sensor, a crash severity sensor, and a pre-crash sensor are used to provide signals controlling an airbag and seatbelt mechanism. The system of the '595 patent does not, however, provide for the unique combination of crash severity sensing, occupant position sensing, and occupant displacement prediction provided by the present system so as to manage the energy of an occupant in a unique and inventive manner.